Courtesy of Mark Epley
by: Eric Kinyon ‘17
Tartan Staff
Mark Epley, the Chief Counsel to Speaker of the U.S. House Paul Ryan, visited Gordon October 5 as part of the “Conversations with the President” series with President Michael D. Lindsey.
They were joined in a full auditorium that included several members of the Political Science Department, including Professor Michael Jacobs. Topics discussed ranged from Epley’s understanding of faith in politics and the kind of personal qualifications necessary to make it in the high-stress world of American politics.
When asked about conflict existing between faith and work, Epley spoke of his aversion to gossiping as “talking badly about other people on Capitol Hill,” which “is often an easy way to get to know the people around you, and not participating in that kind of world can be hard at times.”
Epley said his faith in general serves a complimentary role to his job and encourages any Christians thinking of entering politics to polish up their resumes as they are “the thing that politicians are looking for when considering internships and jobs.
Lindsay asked Epley his opinions on the potential outcomes of the 2016 presidential elections. While he excused himself from saying anything on the candidates themselves, Epley predicted Hillary Clinton will win the election since her campaign has more money and is “better organized than Trump’s.”
As the event came to a close, Lindsay opened up the “Conversation” to the audience. The final question inquired after Epley’s proudest moment of his political career. Thinking for a few minutes, he finally answered it was his role in bringing forth an initiative to tackle domestic human trafficking in the early 2000s.
Students who attended the event appreciated the event. Daniel Choi ‘17 called it “one of the most informative talks he had attended at Gordon.”
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